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A singular router desk, with two machines, does the trick.
Making drawers can chew up loads of time-unless you’ve acquired an environment friendly system. I’ve labored in a number of cabinetmaking outlets the place drawers are made quick. I’ve adopted their strategies for my house store, the place I usually make cupboards that require a lot of drawers. But even in the event you don’t have to work quick, this technique works fairly nicely.
As drawers go, this design is fairly easy. It’s a traditional four-piece drawer field, created from half“ Baltic birch. It’s supposed for utilitarian furnishings, not showpieces. The field is dadoed, glued, and nailed collectively: joinery that’s sturdy sufficient for a drawer that runs on slides. After the field is constructed, it receives an utilized entrance, which is normally hardwood or edge-banded plywood.
1. I constructed a devoted router desk for rapidly making a lot of drawers. It has two routers: the left machine has a 1/4″ straight bit, and the precise machine has a half″ straight bit. Both bits stick up 1/4″.
Let’s start with a drawer-making station I constructed that saves loads of set-up time (Photo 1).
2. To start making a drawer, put a field on the right-hand fence. The field has half″ thick sides, and the bit is situated half″ from the fence, so the entrance aspect of the field is even with the bit.
3. Rout rabbets throughout one finish of each drawer sides. The rabbets will obtain the drawer entrance. After routing, take away the field and set it apart.
4. Rout dados throughout the other ends of the drawer sides. The dados will obtain the drawer again.
5. Place the 2 drawer sides collectively and mark the edges that will probably be grooved to obtain the drawer backside.
6. Rout grooves alongside the within faces of each drawer sides utilizing the second router within the desk. This bit is positioned 3/8″ away from the fence.
7. When you’re performed, you’ll have a matched pair of drawer sides. That’s it for routing; now transfer on to calculating the size of the back and front items.
8. Hold the 2 drawer sides back-to-back. Place a ruler throughout the 2 rabbets to immediately calculate the back and front items’ size. For instance, the ruler reads 16-3/16″ at proper, the dimensions of the completed drawer; at left, the ruler reads 15-11/16″, the size to chop the back and front items. Rip the fronts the identical width as the edges; rip the again piece 5/8″ narrower than the edges.
9. Temporarily assemble the drawer. Make the underside from 1/4″ plywood. Rip it 1/32″ narrower than the size of the back and front items. Crosscut it 1″ extra-long. Slide within the backside and mark its size to be flush with the again.
10. Using a unique router desk, spherical excessive edges of the drawer components utilizing a 1/4″ roundover bit. Flip every bit over and rout either side.
11. Assemble the drawer utilizing glue and 1″ lengthy 18-gauge brads. Place the drawer components the other way up, to align their prime edges. Start with the again corners.
12. Glue and nail the entrance. Then slide the underside in nearly the entire method, and switch the drawer over.
13. Run a bead of glue throughout the tip of the drawer backside, then push the underside into the entrance groove. Turn the drawer over.
14. To make sure that the drawer is sq., nest it inside two strips screwed to a big piece of plywood. Fasten the underside utilizing 1/4″ crown staples, 3/4″ lengthy.
15. Add glue blocks across the backside. They’re 3/8″ sq. and a couple of″ lengthy. Just rub them in place; they don’t have to be nailed. These blocks maintain the drawer sq. and preserve the underside from rattling if it suits free within the grooves.
Add slides and mount the drawer within the cupboard. Attach the solid-wood entrance piece with double-faced tape, then open the drawer and fasten the entrance with screws from the within.
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